BATH - Executive Councilor Ray Burton says he will not seek re-election next year as he continues battling cancer.

Burton issued a statement Sunday saying he has been in and out of the hospital for treatment recently and plans to return to his home in Bath and rest. He plans to fulfill his terms on both the Executive Council and Grafton County Commission, which run through 2014.

Burton has served as the executive councilor for most of the northern half of the state for 35 years.

"I wish to thank my fellow residents of New Hampshire for giving me the privilege to serve them," Burton said in his release. "All decisions and matters addressed were always in the best intention to see our state succeed. I am honored to have been allowed to serve and work to make a difference in the Granite State."